WASHINGTON, Feb 26 (Reuters) - U.S. President Donald

Trump on Wednesday urged Apple ( AAPL ) to scrap its diversity,

equity and inclusion policies, a day after the iPhone maker's

shareholders voted overwhelmingly to keep them in the face of

growing pushback from conservative groups.

Big U.S. companies, including Meta and Alphabet

, have dropped DEI initiatives as Trump's returned to

the presidency.

He has called them discriminatory and suggested the

Department of Justice could investigate if such efforts violate

the law.

"Apple ( AAPL ) should get rid of DEI rules, not just make

adjustments to them. DEI was a hoax that has been very bad for

our country. DEI is gone!!!" Trump wrote in a post on Truth

Social that was in uppercase.

Apple ( AAPL ) did not immediately respond to a request for comment.

Tuesday's vote at the iPhone maker's annual meeting was seen

as a test of shareholder views on DEI programs, which many

companies added or beefed up starting in 2020 amid the Black

Lives Matter movement.

Supporters of the policies say they address longstanding

bias, inequity and discrimination. But proponents of the

proposal against Apple's ( AAPL ) DEI had argued recent legal changes

could result in an increase in discrimination cases if Apple ( AAPL )

continued such policies.

Trump issued an executive order in January to end DEI

initiatives in the federal government and private sector, saying

such efforts discriminates against other Americans, including

white people and men and weakens the importance of merit in job

hiring or promotion.

Apple ( AAPL ) has said it had an active oversight effort to avoid

legal risks and that the proposal inappropriately restricted

management.

The company reports workforce diversity data but sets no

targets or quotas, focusing its DEI efforts on programs such as

a racial justice initiative that supports historically Black

colleges and universities in the U.S.

Apple's ( AAPL ) "strength has always come from hiring the very best

people and then providing a culture of collaboration, one where

people with diverse backgrounds and perspectives come together

to innovate", CEO Tim Cook said at Tuesday's meeting.

But he also signaled the company may make some adjustments

in response to new developments.

"As the legal landscape around these issues evolves, we may

need to make some changes to comply, but our North Star of

dignity and respect for everyone and our work to that end will

never waver," Cook said.